1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to transit vehicle transmission control, and more particularly, to a method and system for transit vehicle transmission control via operator authentication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unauthorized use of transit vehicles, such as buses, has become a problem for the transportation industry, making it imperative for transit authorities to restrict the use and operation of such transit vehicles to trained and trusted operators.
Security systems have been proposed that require an operator to enter a password in order to start the ignition of a transit vehicle. Additional anti-theft systems have been proposed that include a mechanical-electronic device capable of locking the transmission. The lock is released by entering a personal code number. Recently, such systems have also incorporated the use of biometric information to perform identification of a vehicle operator.